


Sweet Summertime

by katieeeeexx



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Summer Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 21:03:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14293416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katieeeeexx/pseuds/katieeeeexx
Summary: As everyone in Riverdale escapes for the summer, Betty and Jughead see each other in a new light as they both find part time work at Pop's diner.





	Sweet Summertime

Betty looked up at the sound of the bell ringing as the door of Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe swung open. She had taken a summer job there to earn some extra money while Archie was off at some fancy music academy and Veronica vacationed in Barbados with her family and Smithers. She smiled at the sight of Jughead Jones— apparently her only ally this summer.

The light poured in from outside and hit his skin in a way that made him seem iridescent. He wore his signature crown beanie, but his hair tumbled out of it in soft, uncontained waves. Jughead’s leather jacket hung from his shoulders and draped over his torso, revealing a tight wife beater underneath that clung to his defined abs. Betty wasn’t sure if it was the summer heat, but Jughead suddenly seemed, well, _hot._

“Betty Cooper,” he smiled, focusing his eyes on the blonde in front of him, “You are a sight for sore eyes.” The overhead lights illuminated Betty’s golden ponytail, making her hair seem invitingly soft. Her eyes were wide and full of promise, her smile slight and shy. Jughead noticed a faint hint of pink in her cheeks and wondered if it was the heat or something else. 

Betty laughed quietly. “I thought I’d be the only one stuck in Riverdale this summer,” she gestured vaguely at the empty diner. “What can I get ya?” she asked, beaming at Jughead, relieved to have a companion.

“A job,” Jughead replied plainly. Betty raised her eyebrow. Jughead shrugged and added, “A man’s gotta feed his burger addiction somehow!” Betty laughed in response, louder this time, and an unfamiliar feeling bubbled up in Jughead’s chest. Butterflies, maybe? He smirked at the idea and walked towards the counter.

 

***

 

Betty shrieked with laughter as Jughead chased her around the counter in an unusually deserted Pop’s. It seemed this summer everyone wanted to escape Riverdale, and she didn’t blame them, given everything that had been going on. Betty, however, was perfectly content to joke around with Jughead at the diner. She was enjoying his company more than ever before, and she felt comfortable— safe, even— with him around. Their shifts had so far included coming up with crazy conspiracy theories about the crimes of Riverdale, endless free milkshakes, and more laughter than Betty thought possible.

Jughead sprinted after Betty, an easy smile playing across his face. He expected this summer to drag on, but with Betty, time seemed to fly. He’d spent two weeks working with her at the diner already, but it felt like the blink of an eye. When he caught up to her, he wrapped his arms around her and gently pushed her into an empty booth. “Gotcha!” he exclaimed as Betty erupted into a fresh fit of giggles.

Betty was gasping for air as Jughead slid into the booth beside her. She hesitantly rested her head on his shoulder— it just looked like the perfect fit. Jughead didn’t move away, so she stayed put. As her breathing returned to normal, she said, “You know, I don’t think I’d let anyone else catch me.”

Jughead thought his heart had skipped a beat. He’d been grappling with unfamiliar feelings for Betty since the day he walked into Pop’s. He always assumed she’d end up as Archie’s girl, so he never really thought about Betty like that. But now Archie was with Veronica and he was here with Betty who was currently resting her head on his shoulder. It felt so right that Jughead felt like he had finally come up for air. “I don’t think I’d like it if anyone else caught you, Betts,” he answered shyly.

 

***

 

It was 9pm and Betty waited as Jughead followed her out of the diner. The light outside was still tinged with orange leftover from sunset, and it made everything look crisp and dreamy. Jughead stared at Betty for the briefest of moments, trying to memorize the way her eyes danced in the dimming light. “Let me walk you home, Betts.”

Betty nodded and they fell into step with each other. There was an easy silence between them, and for the first time— possibly ever— Betty didn’t feel like she needed to prove herself. She was happy just existing with Jughead.

Jughead let his arms sway lazily as he walked, and his hand brushed up against Betty’s. He took a sharp intake of breath, hoping Betty didn’t notice. Suddenly, he felt like he was all limbs with the grace of an untrained baboon. The only thing filling his mind was how badly he wanted to hold Betty’s hand in that moment. He could hear his heart hammering in his ears, and it was so loud he wondered if Betty could hear it, too.

Betty felt Jughead’s hand against hers, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. Her stomach felt like it had done a backflip. She snuck a glance at their hands and noticed how close they were. She could just reach out and lock her fingers into his. It wouldn’t be that crazy, would it?

Jughead saw Betty through the corner of his eye, and it looked like she was looking at their hands. He took a deep breath— it was now or never. Ignoring the deafening beat of his heart, he grabbed Betty’s hand and smiled at the way their fingers seemed to fit so perfectly together. His entire body relaxed at the feeling.

Betty smiled and looked down at her hand in Jughead’s. She never wanted to let go, and she silently thanked God that she lived three miles from the diner. Warmth radiated throughout her whole body and she was pretty sure her cheeks were turning red. She chanced a look at Jughead, and smiled bashfully at him when their eyes met.

The pair walked noiselessly the rest of the way, their hands swinging gently with each step. Neither of them felt the need to break the silence; just holding on to each other was enough.

 

***

 

“Juggie!” Betty squealed, “They’re showing Mean Girls at the drive-in tonight! Can we go, please, Jug?” Betty put on her best puppy dog eyes, knowing Jughead would protest to the movie choice.

Jughead wanted to argue, but one look at Betty Cooper and he was putty in her hands. They hadn’t talked about what was going on, exactly, but he was pretty sure they were more than just friends. “Sure, Betts,” he acquiesced. “Pick you up at 7?” Betty nodded as she almost jumped into the air with excitement.

The hours seemed to inch by as Jughead worked out the rest of his shift after Betty left the diner. All he could think about was the drive-in with Betty later. Was it a date? It had to be, certainly. They’d been flirting endlessly all summer. Jughead squinted at the clock— ten minutes left. _Finally._

He was shaking when he rang the doorbell of the Cooper house. Jughead couldn’t remember the last time he was this nervous, if at all. Betty beamed as she opened the door. “Bye, mom!” she called as she joined him on the front porch. She turned to face Jughead. “Ready to go?”

All Jughead could do was smile. Her hair was down, something he’d only seen maybe once before, and it fell in soft curls around her gentle, beautiful face. The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled at him, and her lips were lightly glossed with the palest pink Jughead had ever seen. She was stunning.

He fumbled with her hand as he nervously took it in his, and a shaky laugh escaped his lips. Betty smiled and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Jughead led her to his dad’s truck, opened the door for Betty, and helped her climb in comfortably before heading to the driver’s seat.

The drive was short, and Jughead found the perfect spot in the front row as he parked in the drive-in. He was setting up blankets and pillows when Betty spoke. “Jug?” she asked, “Is this— Is this a date?” Her voice was small and shy. Jughead had an abrupt urge to wrap his arms around her and kiss her forehead.

Instead, he awkwardly looked down at the ground before looking back at Betty. “Do you want it to be?” He felt like his heart was in his throat.

Betty hesitantly stepped toward Jughead and took his hand. “Yeah,” she answered, “I do.”

Jughead couldn’t hide the smile forming on his lips as he replied with, “Then it’s a date.” He tightened his grip on her hand and helped her up into the bed of the truck, now a mountain of pillows and blankets.

They watched the movie mostly in silence, except for the few times Betty quoted her favorite lines without realizing it. Every time she did it, Jughead’s smile grew larger. They were about halfway through the movie, and he wanted to be closer to Betty; he wanted to hold her as tightly as he could. By some act of divine intervention, he swiftly put his arm around her shoulders and Betty snuggled in close to him. She wrapped her arm around his waist as her head fell onto his chest, and Jughead felt like he had won the lottery. As the movie continued, he absentmindedly stroked her hair. It was just as soft as he’d imagined.

The movie came to end, but neither one of them wanted to move. Betty tilted her head to look at Jughead. “Can we just stay here and look at the stars, Jug?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Of course, Betts,” Jughead replied. He pulled her in closer as he adjusted their position so that they were laying flat in the bed of the truck. After a moment, he pointed at a visible constellation. “You see that one, Betts? That’s Lyra. It’s based off the story of Orpheus, who was given a harp by Apollo. It’s believed that his music could soothe anger and bring joy to weary hearts— it was more beautiful than any mortal man’s music. The constellation is his harp, which was thrown into a river after he was killed.”

“It’s beautiful, Jug,” she murmured. Betty turned so that she was laying facing him. “Do you ever think about how small we are compared to everything? Like… we’re just tiny, insignificant people floating around in this huge universe,” she trailed off.

Jughead shifted to look at Betty. He gently cupped her cheek, his earlier nerves finally gone. “You’re not insignificant to me, Betty. You’re the center of my universe,” He looked down, suddenly very shy.

Betty melted at his words, in disbelief that her summer has led her here, to this moment, with Jughead. At the beginning of the year, she was daydreaming about being a power couple with Archie, but now the only dream she had was of Jughead. She never wanted the summer to end. She softly lifted Jughead’s face so that she could look into his eyes. He was usually so distant from everyone, but right here it seemed like his walls were finally coming down. Betty placed a soft, chaste kiss on his lips. She could feel his smile against hers. Tonight the stars were perfectly aligned.

 

***

 

It had been a month since their first date, and Jughead and Betty were inseparable. Outside of their shifts together at Pop’s, they spent all of their time going on adventures throughout Riverdale. Betty’s favorite was hiking through Fox Forest, while Jughead preferred taking a boat out onto Sweetwater River. They usually compromised and boated out to a new spot in the forest before charting out a path together.

It was a rare day off for the both of them, and the pair decided to make a day out of exploring. Betty packed a picnic; Jughead brought his camera along. They set out on the boat just as the sun was rising. “Isn’t it beautiful?” Betty exclaimed, wonder evident in her voice.

“Not as beautiful as you,” Jughead quipped. Sure the sunset was great, but his favorite view by far was Betty. He quickly snapped a picture of her gazing at the sunrise before she turned to him and blushed.

“Oh, Juggie, stop,” she pushed him playfully on the shoulder and giggled. Jughead made her feel like the most special girl in the world.

He put his hands up in defeat. “Hey, just telling the truth,” he smiled. He could listen to her giggle for the rest of his life; it was his favorite sound.

They made their way across the river as the sun rose, its light dancing across the ripples in the water. Their conversation was easy, like it always was, and they chattered on about life, what they wanted to do for the rest of the summer, and the crazy customers they’d been getting at Pop’s.

Betty laughed, “Yeah! And then when she _insisted_ that her milkshake be dairy free I just gave her this look like—” she made a look at Jughead, “— lady, it’s a _milk_ shake in a town so far from food trends that you’d have to catch a rocket to find them.”

Jughead roared with laughter. With Betty, everything was so simple. There were no Black Hoods, no murder charges against his father. There was only Betty and the simplicity only a summer romance can provide. Although, he admittedly hoped it wouldn’t _just_ be a summer romance.

They talked for hours as they made their way through the forest, Jughead stopping occasionally to snap a picture while Betty was oblivious they were all of her. Their laughter flowed freely and Betty would grab Jughead’s hand any time they went through a patch of wood that wasn’t wide enough for a clear path. Jughead didn’t mind, though. He loved holding her hand.

They found a clearing in the middle of the forest and decided to stop for lunch. While Betty unpacked her meticulously crafted picnic, Jughead watched her in awe. He just could not believe getting a part time gig at Pop’s led to this— this beautiful girl before him, genuinely happy to be with him. He was almost suspicious— good things like this rarely happened to him.

“You know Betts,” he started, the swarm of butterflies waking from their slumber in his stomach, “I couldn’t picture anything better than spending the day exploring and picnicking with my girlfriend.” The word tumbled out. He’d been waiting to say it since he first held her hand, but Jughead was terrified of scaring her off.

Betty stopped unpacking the picnic and turned to face him. A smile creeped up on her lips. “Girlfriend,” she muttered sheepishly, “I like the sound of that.”

 

***

 

Betty was in the kitchen washing the utensils while Jughead manned the floor at Pop’s. They’d developed a system during their shifts together, working in perfect harmony to run the diner like a well-oiled machine. Since most people were off only God-knows-where, the diner was mostly a tourist stop while people passed through to their summer destinations. This made it easy for the pair to spend most of their shifts together, their responsibilities second to their budding romance.

Betty wrapped the last trio of cutlery in a napkin and made her way to the main floor of Pop’s. The diner was empty except for Jughead. She smiled— just how she liked it. She took her job seriously, of course, but she was human, after all, and Jughead had this uncanny ability to make her weak in the knees. She slid into a booth next to him where Jughead was writing on his laptop. She kissed his cheek before asking, “Whatcha working on, stud?”

Jughead smiled as color began to stain his cheeks. Would he ever get used to the way Betty made him feel? “Oh, just my novel. Editing,” he answered. He shut his laptop and gave her a sweet kiss. Her lips were soft under his and he could taste her vanilla chapstick.

She smiled into the kiss, and for a moment, Pop’s faded away. It was only Betty and Jughead, and nothing else mattered. She pulled away and rested her forehead on his. “That was nice,” she whispered.

Jughead looked down at his girlfriend. Her eyes were still closed. He was so overcome in that moment that he knew; he was certain. “Hey Betty?”

Her eyes fluttered open as she looked up at him. “Mmm?”

“I love you,” Jughead declared, his voice soft, yet strong. It was like those words were always meant to come out of his mouth.

Betty broke into a wide smile. “Jughead Jones. I love you, too.”


End file.
